KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Agencies under the Transport Ministry have been instructed to collect the names of e-hailing drivers and p-hailing riders in the country for vaccination purposes, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong.

Wee said as frontliners serving the public during the lockdown period, they should also be given priority in terms of vaccination to ensure their own safety as well as that of their customers.

"There are some 100,000 e-hailing drivers and 50,000 p-hailing riders serving with (e-hailing operator) Grab now.

As I have announced before this, the scheduling process of vaccination for taxis and e-hailing drivers as well as p-hailing riders is underway, which will start with about 41,488 taxi and e-hailing drivers and 11,527 p-hailing riders,” he said in a Facebook post tonight.

He said he understood that during the implementation of the movement control order (MCO), the transport sector remained an essential 24-hour service to ensure people nationwide could receive their daily necessities and goods, and for passengers to be able to travel.

Wee said his ministry was also working closely with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) in an effort to achieve group immunisation as early as possible.

"We expect and hope that with everybody’s cooperation, the public transport drivers will be vaccinated by end of August,” he said. — Bernama